The Coccidae of South Africa. 
77 
OUTLINE OF CLASSIFICATION OF SOUTH AFEIOAN 
COCCIDAE. 
The family Coccidae is distinguished from the most nearly related 
families of the Hemiptera (Phytophthires), viz. the Psyllidae, Aletirodidae, 
and the Aphididae, by the fact that in the Coccidae the tarsi are normally 
one-jointed and bear but a single claw. In the three remaining families 
mentioned the tarsi are normally two-jointed and terminate in two claws. 
It is the rule too, in Coccids, that the females are always wingless and the 
males nearly always winged, possessin^r, however, but one pair of wings. 
In the Psyllidae, Aleurodidae, and Aphididae, on the contrary, the 
normal condition is for the adults of both sexes to possess wings, and 
when present always two pairs. In the immature or stationary condition, 
however, many of the insects in these families bear a striking resemblance 
to scale insects. This is particularly the case with immature Aleurodidae 
and, among the Aphididae, with, the aberrant Cerataphis lataniae, "the 
black seed scale " of English horticulturists. This peculiar aphis is 
common in South African greenhouses, and is known to occur on 
ornamental palms grown in the open at Durban. 
As a matter of convenience the family Coccidae, which now comprises 
about two thousand described species, is divided into a number of 
Subfamilies. 
Those known to be represented in South x\frica may be distinguished 
as follows : — 
Family COCCIDAE. 
N.B. — ^Adult ? characters used unless otherwise stated. 
Adult cT , as far as is known, with simple eyes unless otherwise stated. 
I. Anal ring hearing hairs. 
A. Posterior extremity not cleft. 
a. Posterior extremity wit!i ± produced caudal lobes which 
normally bear two or more stout spines, one or more long setae 
and shorter hairs. Adults naked or + covered with waxy 
secretion in the form of meal, cotton, waxy cones or plates. 
Insects generally free-moving until eggs are laid. Ovisac may 
or may not be formed, which may partly or entirely enclose 
the ? , Figure-S glands absent in all stages. E.g. mealy- 
bugs, etc Pseudococcitiae. 
